Air

Men's memories are shaky, distant things, lodged deep within their minds, and nearly all mortals possess some past sin, some shame they would rather have forgotten. This spell, a favorite of the Scorpion, causes Air kami to evoke the memories and visions of past crimes. The constant painful memories distract and distress the victim of the spell, making it difficult for him to accomplish anything. For the duration of the spell, he must call one Raise for no effect on any Skill rolls or Spellcasting rolls which he makes.

Named after the Fortune of Scribes, this powerful invocation was originally created by the Unicorn and derived from their secret Meishodo magic. So far as anyone knows, the spell has never been taught to anyone outside of the Unicorn Clan. The spell persuades the Air kami to carry the true meaning of words to the caster's ear, allowing him to perceive the tongue of foreigners. for the duration of the spell, all audible human speech within the area of effect is made intelligible to the caster, regardless of what language is used.

Priests of the kami are capable of inscribing powerful wards that invoke the power of the elements against all who attempt to pass them. A Symbol of Air must be inscribed on a solid object, most often a door, window, gate, or other passageway. Anyone attempting to pass through this passageway or otherwise pass by the area protected by the Symbol is affected by the protective ward. Such persons must succeed at a Contested Roll using their Earth against the caster's Air.

This spell is a subtle illusion used to conceal a shugenja's trail from pursuers. The spell convinces mischievous Air kami to hide the tracks of the shugenja (and his mount, if any), along with any other evidence of his passage (such as broken branches). In their place it create a false trail of similar evidence leading in a completely different direction for the same distance. The illusionary trail will follow a reasonable route (e.g.

Although it requires great favor, the air kami are willing to coalesce into a solid form for a short period of time if they are fond enough of the priest asking them. You may create a small object out of the air itself, something that can be held in one or both hands and that does not weigh more than twenty pounds at most. This creation is an illusion, but it can be used functionally, including damage if it is a weapon. The object disappears completely at the end of the spell's duration.

When a priest invokes this incantation, the Air kami gather together and form a mystical lens through which the shugenja may see the world as the spirits themselves perceive it. The lens lasts only a few moments and the caster can normally only use it to observe one person or creature. That brief moment of observation, however, allows the caster to learn the target's 2 lowest Rings and the values of their constituent Traits, in effect showing part of the person's Elemental composition. Additional Rings may be learned with Raises.

Although the ultimate secrets of the human mind are hidden ever to the winds, air kami can pluck the most immediate thoughts from the minds of others and whisper them to those who carry their favor. For the duration of this spell, you essentially hear the surface thoughts of the spell's target. You only learn things they are actively thinking about. For example, if you ask the name of the target's daughter, that name would appear in their mind instantly even if they had no intention of speaking it aloud.

This spell calls on the power of Isora, the Fortune of the Seashore, to unleash a blast of storm-wracked air and lightning that smites an area within range. The sudden roaring onslaught of wind, rain, and lightning inflicts 3k2 damage on everyone within the area of effect, and they must roll their Earth at TN 30 or be Fatigued by Isora's howl. The spell also damages weak or vulnerable physical objects - paper walls will be blown out, scrolls soaked with water, etc.

Those who are fortunate enough to be blessed by the Blood of Osano-Wo are immune to the effects of this spell.

The ultimate gift of the wind spirits is to become like the wind itself; unseen. The wind kami surround you and render you completely invisible. No non-magical vision can detect your presence. You can still be touched, heard, and smelled, but unless you attack someone else, you remain invisible for the duration of the spell. The kami consider attacking someone to be ruining the joke, and immediately end of the spell's effect if you do so.

This ritual was originally devised by the Kitsu sodan-senzo, but due to its widespread applicability it quickly spread to other shugenja families and schools. The Kitsu wished all Rokugani to properly venerate the ancestors, and thus had no difficulty sharing their discovery with the Isawa and the other clans as well. For those who do not have Kitsu blood, this spell is one of the very few ways in which shugenja can actually communicate with the ancestors while in Ningen-Do.